25 best Supercars drivers since 2000: #9 Rick Kelly
As 2025 gets underway, Supercars.com is ranking the top 25 drivers of the last 25 years, continuing with Rick Kelly, who comes in as our #9.
Rick Kelly seemed destined for the highest heights in Supercars when he debuted as a teenager with the Holden Young Lions in 2001.
Older brother Todd looked already on the path to greatness, but by the end of their careers, Rick would have twice as many Bathurst wins and, crucially, a championship.
At 20, Kelly became — and remains — the youngest ever winner of the Bathurst 1000, and went back-to-back in 2004. While Greg Murphy claimed the headlines with the ‘Lap of the Gods’ and taking the chequered flag, Kelly did the grunt work and contributed greatly to both wins.
The HSV Dealer Team emerged, and after a moving year in 2005, Kelly made his presence felt in 2006. Teammate Garth Tander looked on course for glory, while Ford rival Craig Lowndes also racked up wins. Kelly quietly accrued points and podiums and, after Bathurst, was on Lowndes’s tail.
Slip-ups for Lowndes in Surfers Paradise and Tasmania gave Kelly the ascendancy, and save for a controversial final day in Phillip Island, few could argue Kelly didn’t deserve the title.
Kelly’s results went on a rollercoaster for the next decade as he and Todd spearheaded the family team, which ran Nissans between 2013 and 2019. Rick won races in another banner year in 2011, but wins from then were few and far between.
Still, in a career of over 500 races, Kelly achieved great things, and moved on in 2020 as a legend of the sport.
Rick Kelly's key stats since 2000
Years active: 2001-2020
Rounds: 265
Races: 580
Best championship position: 1st (2006)
Best finish: 1st (13 wins)
Top three finishes: 59
Best start: 1st (10 pole positions)
Best Bathurst result: 1st (2003, 2004)
The highlight
The Bathurst wins were epic, and are no doubt of great importance to Kelly. However, while he played a big role, Murphy qualified and finished both races off, with Kelly celebrating in the garage.
On track, winning from 17th in driving rain in Sydney in 2004 was also a significant performance, and one we can’t ignore. Then, there's the stunning 2011 victories in Hamilton and Darwin, and the emotional Winton triumph in 2018, just days after Nissan announced its withdrawal.
Kelly's Adelaide win in 2007, though, was a big result. Arriving as reigning champion, with Holden debuting the new VE Commodore, Kelly followed up Todd’s Saturday success with a resounding Sunday win, delivering the new champ an Adelaide 500 title.
Kelly would win more races, but drivers who take out the big prize on Adelaide Sunday are made of great stuff. He did just that, carrying the weight of expectation and the #1 on his door to kickstart his title defence.
Why we picked him
Kelly had two Bathurst wins and a championship by age 23, a record no driver can match. He could have added another title in 2007 had reliability not cruelled his season, but he’ll always have 2006, as will history.
Kelly was never there to make up the numbers, and was a brilliant racer. Harder to pass than a kidney stone, Kelly drew comparisons to John Bowe, and never gave his rivals an easy time.
On the track, Kelly epitomised the spirit of touring car racing — tough as nails, a battler to the end, and uncompromising. Off it, he was also well-respected by fans and media, and was also a superb broadcaster.
The views in this article do not necessarily express the opinions of Supercars, teams or drivers.
